Tennessee Titans all-time Mount Rushmore

Tennessee Titans Mount Rushmore: RB Earl Campbell

He may have been the most frightening running back in NFL history. The combination of power, speed and determination was quite the combination. And it paid off for the Houston Oilers, who in 1978 made University of Texas star Earl Campbell the first overall pick in the draft.

He would explode onto the scene and dominate defenses. The “Tyler Rose” led the league in rushing in each of his first three seasons. He helped turned Bum Phillips’ Oilers into a Super Bowl contender upon his arrival. The club would reach the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two years, only to fall short each time to the dynasty from the Steel City.

As for those first three seasons (1978-80), there were 46 regular-season contests, 1,043 carries for 5,081 yards and 45 visits to the end zone. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, the league’s Most Valuable Player in his second season and was the Offensive Player of the Year in each of those three seasons.

Campbell totaled 1,979 attempts for 8,574 yards and 73 rushing TDs in his seven-plus years with Houston. He would finish his career in New Orleans playing for Bum Phillips, his head coach with the Oilers for so many years. And he was an easy first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in 1991.